After several rides romping through the Vermont hills with these lovely ladies swapping tips and tricks, it occurred to me that we talk about small details that coaches should be relaying to their athletes. Despite their experience in the sport they were full of curiosities on technique and strategy.
Thus the quick bites are born both as motivation for me in my 12-week Ironman lead-up block and to pay-it-forward to fellow athletes. Train on and I hope you find something new!
Our first topic is climbing. Climbing is all about pacing and not burning too many matches for the proverbial and literal road ahead.
1. RELAX your shoulders and hands. More power to the pedals, less wasted energy into systems that don't propel you forward! A hard grip will tighten your back and shoulders; this will cost you in long course.
2. Sit back in your saddle for a smoother stroke and better center of gravity.
3. Engage your core and let your legs glide through the pedal stroke. You should see your wattage drop but your pacing and speed increase.
4. Learn your gearing and shift often to maintain a high cadence. Keep it smooth and DO get out of your saddle if your cadence (RPM) drops below 60-70.
5. Same rules apply when standing: keep it relaxed up top, smooth thru your pedal stroke and balance your center of gravity just slightly forward without being overly bent forward.
6. Engage those glutes and hip flexors! Your glutes should be sore after a lot of climbing - that means you did it right...
7. DON'T mash uphill with your toes down - this will shorten your Achilles and make for a painful and potentially injury-prone run.
Happy riding!!
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